I'm not ready to close the book on this amazing season just yet. So I figured I'd share my take on each player who contributed something of significance to the run, all 26 of em. I'll throw em up about 5 or 6 guys at a time, going through it numerically - starting with Keith and ending with Kane.
Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Today: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88
#51 – Brian Campbell (D)
68 GP, 7 G, 31 A, +18, 23:13 ATOI
19 GP, 1 G, 4 A, +11, 19:35 ATOI
I really did love this team top to bottom and had a handful of guys I really loved. But there were few I was as happy to see prove their value as Campbell. Wrongly maligned by fans who misunderstood what he brought to the table and/or didn’t appreciate the value of what he did, Campbell was thought of by many as a major bust.
Look, there’s no question the Hawks overpaid. Now that the salary cap has become such a grave concern, it’s evident that Campbell is no $7M a year guy. But two things to consider. First, the Hawks gave up no assets to acquire Campbell. So a bit of that extra salary is to offset the fact that they didn’t have to trade or draft/develop the guy.
Second, for the past two seasons Campbell’s onerous contract had no negative effect on the Hawks. Just the opposite – Campbell’s presence, even at $7M per, was crucial to the late run we had two years ago and the Cup we just won. So ask yourself – would you really prefer to have a bit more cap flexibility right now or to know for sure we’ve finally won a Cup?
Because there is no way we were winning a title without a guy like Campbell. As discussed in my comments on Keith, the Hawks whole system requires that they have defensemen who can move the puck up ice. Keith was one of those, but the Hawks needed a second guy so that at almost all times there was a blueliner on the ice able to control the puck and get it into the other end.
So yeah, the Hawks should have been prescient enough to offer Campbell a 12-year deal with four $1M years at the end to bring the cap down to a fair market value $5M per. They did it a year later with Hossa and had they done it with Campbell, Niemi most certainly would be back this year. Unfortunately, at the time they signed Campbell, those kind of deals hadn't yet been established.
I'm fairly certain it started in January 2009, when the Wings added a pair of $1M years to Zetterberg's already negotiated 10 year deal to greatly improve his cap hit, so it's not like the Hawks eschewed a clearly available practice. The practice just hadn't been established yet and it's unclear if an unrestricted free agent like Campbell would have been willing to go along with such a move.
Regardless, I’m glad the Hawks made the decision to sign Campbell, even at the price they did. I’m sorry, having watched this club for two years with Campbell, there’s no question we need him on the ice. And if it cost us a bit more than was prudent to ensure we got him, so be it. And as the fates would have it, Campbell’s worth was proven when he was injured by Ovechkin and the Hawks had to struggle along without him down the stretch and to start the playoffs.
Finally, Hawks fans got to see what happens when Campbell isn’t taking his 20-25 minutes a night. How the offense stagnates, how too much is asked of Keith, how the whole blue line is over-taxed. It wasn’t totally because of his return, but it also wasn’t unrelated that Campbell being in the lineup coincided with the turn around in the Nashville series.
If you’re still not on board with what value Campbell brings or have forgotten this off-season as we struggle against the cap in part due to his salary, here are some things to know about the ginger kid. First off, he’s not a goal-scorer. When the Hawks signed Campbell, they knew this full well. He had just turned 29 and played five full seasons in the league. It was clear what you were getting, and it was a guy who only once had scored more than 6 goals in a season. So the back-to-back 7 goals years he’s put up with the Hawks have actually been better than his career average.
Second, Campbell isn’t a stud on the power play. This I was surprised about, as it was one of the things we were sold on – this guy would come into the top power play and make it all go. But while he’s fully capable with a man advantage, Campbell’s nothing special. In fact, for most of the year and in the playoffs he was working on the second unit. And he did a nice job for a solid but inconsistent power play. Yet, it’s definitely not where he’s making his paycheck.
Third, where Campbell is most definitely making his paycheck is in five-on-five hockey, when the puck is about to be broken out. He’s a solid passer who sees the ice well. But what Campbell has made his name on is as a guy who can fly up the ice and spark a rush. Whether it’s creating a break or just getting the puck deep into the other end so the possession cycle game can get going, Campbell is as masterful as about any blueliner in the game.
The guy can flat out fly. He controls the puck outstandingly and sees openings – both to skate and pass – as well as anyone. And the thing I love most about Campbell’s offensive skills – he’s fearless. Both physically and in a risk-taking sense. Campbell doesn’t mind skating a puck deep in along the boards, or dumping it down and chasing it, knowing full well he’s gonna be punished.
And Campbell doesn’t mind selling out a bit defensively to create an offensive chance or possession. That speed allows him to get back into the play without the Hawks’ opponents getting an odd-man break themselves. Which leads to the fourth thing to know about this guy – he’s a plus defender.
Sure, Campbell’s no physical presence, but he’s also not soft and doesn’t shy away from contact. He’ll mix it up with anyone and uses his veteran savvy to be in the right position and make the plays. Throw in the speed he has to close down space, break up rushes, and hang with any forward, and the Hawks are better off defensively because this guy is on the ice. Just look at the numbers: +18 in the regular season, +11 in the post-season (best on the club).
Am I saying that Campbell is better in his own end than Keith, Seabrook, or the Hammer? Nope. But he’s still definitely a real asset and his strong defensive play is one of the reasons that the Hawks are one of the stingiest defenses in the league, despite having inconsistent and unproven goalies in net all year.
So yeah, the Campbell’s contract is bad. And that means he won’t be leaving the Hawks any time soon. But while it hurts to see a lot of these other great skaters move on, I’m damn glad that this guy, as well as the other Top 4 blueliners, are gonna be with the team for a longtime.
#55 – Ben Eager (W)
60 GP, 7 G, 9 A, +9, 8:20 ATOI
18 GP, 1 G, 2 A, +2, 6:02 ATOI
While I’m definitely bummed to see Eager go, I’m excited to see what he can do on a team with a bit less depth that will afford him some more ice time. Eager was another player whose reputation wasn’t really accurate. He was no goon. If Eager never again drops the gloves, he still will have a respectably long NHL career.
He’s not a great skater, but he’s definitely a good one. He’s not great with the puck, but he is capable. And even if he’s not fighting, Eager still will effect the physical level of the game with the hits he delivers and the tenacity with which he plays. Eager is a very good forechecker who works along the boards. That board game can get a little bit better, but he’s still young (only 26) and will profit from getting more than the 6-8 minutes the Hawks could afford him.
The NHL will always have a need for a guy like Eager, because he brings that size, that physicality, but as he showed with the game-winner in Game 2, he also brings skill. He’s got a nice shot, he moves well with the puck, and he doesn’t play too dumb too often. He does need to avoid more penalties and not sell-out for hits as much, but if he can, then he’s going to be a legit third line guy.
Eager definitely has that upside. He’s got a great motor and won’t be swearing off fighting any time soon. Having a guy who can protect your players while also being an asset on the ice is a huge advantage. It allowed the Hawks to use one guy for two roster spots – both the enforcer and a fourth line energy guy. It also meant that come playoff time, Eager, unlike most enforcers, wasn’t glued to the bench, but instead could fill a key role.
So I’m not happy to see Eager in a different sweater, but I’m glad that he’ll get the chance to elevate his game and am excited to see what he does with it. And I’ll always appreciate the two great seasons he gave us on the fourth line (which, thanks in large part to him, was always one of the best in the NHL) and as an enforcer (a mildly antiquated role that still is necessary for a team as talented as the Hawks).
#81 – Marian Hossa (W)
57 GP, 24 G, 27 A, +24, 18:44 ATOI
22 GP, 3 G, 12 A, +7, 18:25 ATOI
Three goals in 22 playoff games last year. That tells you all you need to know about Marian Hossa.
The standard reaction to that line would be to think that this guy was a bust, a pariah who disappeared when it mattered and was a major hindrance to the team’s Cup run. A guy who was expected to make a major impact and didn’t even make much of a minor one.
Wrong.
The fact that the real insightful, educated Hawks fans never turned on this guy and, despite some ignorant grumblings about his failure to score, that the overall perception of the Hawks biggest ever free agent signing never turned negative is why those three goals in 22 playoff games say it all. They tell you that even when Hossa isn't scoring, the guy is doing a whole hell of a lot to make this team better.
I’m not sure you could find a more complete winger in the NHL. When the Hawks signed him, you quickly checked out his numbers and saw a guy who could fill up the net. Okay, so he’s another high-flying European sniper right? But then you heard he’s decent-sized and physical – so he’s a rare European power forward, right?
The answer to both of those is yes, but it’s only scratching the surface of the player the Hawks so skillfully added to the mix at an incredibly cheap cap number of $5.3M. Hossa is simply a guy who can do everything that you could ever ask of a winger. He’s got the size and toughness to play around the net. The speed and playmaking to be dangerous on the rush. The tenacity and body to forecheck and win battles along the boards. The stick skills and vision to fill up the net himself and set up others to do so. The defensive awareness and commitment to kill penalties and skate against the other team’s top line. The multi-dimensional offensive attack to carry the second unit of the power play.
While certainly not the leader or clutch performer that Derek Jeter is (who is?), I think the comparison is apt in the way that they’re both the rare superstar who brings a workmanlike approach to the game. Despite having gobs of talent and being as accomplished as anyone in their sport, Jeter and Hossa still are totally committed to doing all of the little things to help their team win.
When the Hawks signed Hossa, I was just happy to have him in the short term – clearly this guy could only help us win a Cup in the next few years. But now having watched him play for a half-season and a Cup run, I am pumped to have him around for the long haul. Hossa’s game will age extremely well because even as the skills go, he’ll find a way to contribute. Because his cap hit is so reasonable, Hossa might eventually be dealt. But I hope not, as this is a guy I definitely foresee being a part of winners until the day he hangs em up.
That seemed evident during the post-season, when Hossa was one of the more impactful skaters on the ice at all times, despite going though one of the worst goal-scoring slumps of his entire career. He contributed at both ends, even-strengthened and on both special teams, and in every way that a winger can.
And what a great guy to emulate for all these youngsters the Hawks will be using in the coming years. You don’t think that seeing Toews and Hossa busting their $100M humps to forecheck, work along the boards, kill penalties, and battle in their own end won’t have a major impact on the kids the Hawks throw into the lineup? You think it’ll be hard for Coach Q to get through to these rooks the importance of those things when all he has to do is show them tape of #81 and #19 on any shift they take?
What really has me excited? I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Hossa, by any stretch. Remember, not only was last year his first in the Hawks system and with the Hawks skaters, but he missed a good portion of the off-season, all of camp, and a big chunk of the start of the year. It wasn’t until the playoffs that JQ settled on Sharp as his best option as Hossa’s center. Now imagine what a fully healthy Hossa will do with Sharp on his pivot for 82 games? Or how nice it’ll be to have his regular goal-every-other-game scoring pace come next post-season?
#82 – Tomas Kopecky (W)
74 GP, 10 G, 11 A, +0, 9:29 ATOI
17 GP, 4 G, 2 A, +2, 13:34 ATOI
Another in a long line of guys I just didn’t show enough patience in. But I wasn’t alone – hell, even JQ didn’t seem to understand how he fit the team. Kopecky was bounced all over the lineup, and not because he was capable of fitting anywhere, like Versteeg. Nope, Quenneville just couldn’t find a place that Kopecky could make a meaningful contribution.
Not that there were high expectations for him, but coming over from the Wings and being reasonably young, there were some hopes that Kopecky could fill a nice complimentary role on one of the top three lines. At the very least he could help make the 4th line one of the best in the NHL, as it had been the year before.
Instead he quietly scuffled along, threw up the occasional fluke game, but mostly seemed lost. Wasn’t a shut-down defensive forward, wasn’t a great centerman, wasn’t a scorer, wasn’t a big body, wasn’t a energy/spark type, wasn’t a get dirty guy. JQ repeatedly slotted him next to Hossa in the hopes that the countrymen could find a special connection, but little ever came of it.
But then something clicked. Kopecky finished the year on the 4th line and was key to the offensive onslaught they showcased in bringing the Hawks to the regular season finish on a nice high. Unfortunately that fourth line was broken up with the Hawks early post-season struggles, and Kopecky found himself scratched for a stretch. But then he got his chance, again placed with Hossa and this time he started to make something of it.
Kopecky was nothing amazing, but a light seemed to go on. No idea what really happened, but it looked like he quit trying to make a big impact and instead just focused on doing the little things to help his linemates. He finally became that complimentary player the Hawks needed, the guy who would fly all over the ice, hunting down lose pucks, winning battles, scrapping in front of the net, playing hard in his own end.
I’m not sure if Kopecky has finally figured it out or it was just a nice flukey run, but I hope it’s the former. When turned on, he does have a nice motor and does play bigger than he is. Any offensive numbers he gets will be the product of the great play of his linemates, but Kopecky can make his mark on the stat sheet by continuing to bust his ass to facilitate the play of his teammates.
With so many of the main contributing role players gone now, Kopecky’s role will increase a ton next year, as will the pressure on him to make an impact. Here’s hoping he continues to play within himself, to become a guy who uses hard work and unending drive to help create chances for his high-scoring linemates.
#88 – Patrick Kane (W)
82 GP, 30 G, 58 A, +16, 19:12 ATOI
22 GP, 10 G, 18 A, -2, 18:58 ATOI
In 2008-2009, Kane was undersized, lazy in his own zone, and capable of disappearing for long stretches. Sure he could fill it up, create for others, and showed a knack for being clutch (9 goals in 16 playoff games, including a hat trick in the clinching game 6 of the 2nd round). But many wondered how much of Kane’s impact was style, how much was substance?
Then Toews’ influence started to take hold – Kane comes backs from a grueling off-season 20 pounds bigger with an uncanny ability to not get knocked off the puck. He comes back willing to work in all three zones and not willing to let long stretches go by without effecting the game.
And most of all, Kane comes back with a killer instinct. Sure, Kane had flashed it a bit last playoffs – that Vancouver hatty first and foremost. But this year Kane made it a regular occurrence. Early on, with Hossa out, Toews banged up, Buff not stepping up, Bolland shelved, and Sharp not scoring like he once had, it was Kane who carried the offense.
The results? Team lead in goals? Check. Team lead in assists? Check. Scoring? Check? PP goals? Check. PP assists? Check. ATOI among wingers? Check.
Just watching him out there it was clear that all of those critics who questioned his maturity, his dedication, his toughness, had sold this kid short. And never was that more clear than in the Olympics. Part of a youth-dominated squad out-talented by a number of teams in the tourney, Kane and the Americans beat the Canadians once and were within some stupid OT rules (4x4 to decide the freakin Gold freakin medal?) of the biggest US international sports accomplishment since 1980.
And who was the guy the Americans were throwing out on the ice more than any other down the stretch, when they had to have that goal? Patrick Kane. Coaches, players, analysts all said the same thing – the offense all went through Kane. Everyone on the ice was just waiting for him to do his thing. All that pressure and this 21-year old reveled in it. Kane couldn’t have looked more comfortable in the role, couldn’t have been more clear that’s who he wanted to be. And he delivered, helping create the dramatic game-tying goal in the waning seconds.
So it was absolutely no surprise to me that come Game 6, in OT, with the Cup on the line, it was Kane who single-handedly took the puck, pantsed the veteran blueliner trying to defend him, and slid a shot so smoothly into the back of the net that no one even realized it had happened.
This rundown of all of the contributors to this magical journey fitting concludes here with Kane, the guy who ended the near 50-year Cup wait. And while some may complain about the anti-climactic nature of the OT winner, I was fortunate enough to have it be as amazing as I ever could have hoped.
A lesson I learned from my Dad in baseball served me well – he said when judging flyballs as a fan, just watch the OFs, they’ll tell you right away if there’s anything to be excited about. So when the game kinda stopped and the announcers weren’t clarifying everything, I was one of the first to celebrate because I knew if you just watched the players, they’d let you know if the puck was in.
And seeing Kane skip around the behind the net and up along the boards, seeing his teammates throw off their equipment and join him, and finally, hearing the bar DJ flash an itchy trigger finger and crank Chelsea Dagger, I knew it was time to jump around and hung everybody in sight. Euphoria, chaos, and a disbelieving thrill – everything I hoped a Cup would be, finally was. Man it pumps me up and makes me smile to think of it all over again!
Thanks for reading – both this post and all season long. It’s been a hell of a run and there’s no question I enjoyed it so much more having a forum in which to share my thoughts, and readers who took the time to slog through my overly loquacious posts. I really appreciate your readership, it’s very flattering, very rewarding, and very fun.
Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Today: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88
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